Google Keep’s new Chrome extension makes saving from the web much easier

Google is rolling out some nice update to its Keep note taking product both on the web and Android. It’s now easier to save items from the web with Keep’s new extension for Chrome, which allows you to save a website, or part of one, with just the click of a button. Similarly, you can now use the Share option on Android to save something to Keep.

You can also now organize your notes using hashtags. From Google:

One of your top asks has been for a way to organize and categorize notes, and now it’s as easy as using a #hashtag. This should help you keep track of to-do lists for a #trip or a collect your favorite #recipes, for example.

There have been some small visual tweaks made to the Android app, with some menus moved so similar options are grouped together.

The Keep Chrome extension is available now, and the changes should be rolling out to the Android app in short order.

LG G5 versus the Nexus 6P

Two great phones with different strengths.

The LG G5 is new on the block, which means that it’s time to pit against some of the best phones currently available. This go around we’ll be taking a look at how the LG G5 compares up against the likes of the Nexus 6P. They both have their own strengths, so if you’ve been curious to see how the G5 holds up be sure to keep reading.

Design

When it comes to design, these are very different phones that both feel great in your hand. While both phones are well designed, they don’t really follow the same guidelines.

Operating system	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow	Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Display	5.3-inch IPS quad-HD quantum display (2560×1440, 554 dpi)	5.7 inches QHD (1440×2560) AMOLED at 518 ppi
Processor	Snapdragon 820	Snapdragon 810
Storage	32GB	32 64 or 128GB
RAM	4GB	3GB
Front camera	8MP	8MP
Rear camera	16MP, 8MP wide-angle (135 degrees)	12.3MP
Battery	2800 mAh	3450 mAh
Dimensions	149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm	159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3mm
Weight	159 grams	178 grams

The G5 is the smaller of the two phones in both height and width, clocking in at 149.4mm tall and 73.9mm wide. The Nexus 6P is significantly larger in both dimensions, with a 159.3mm and 77.8mm wide. When it comes to how bulky the phone is in your hand, the Nexus 6P is the thinner of the two with a 7.3mm thickness. The G5 isn’t much thicker though, at 7.7mm.

The Nexus 6P fits well in your hand, but it can feel slippery. That means it might not be the best fit for you, especially if you have trouble with dropping phones. The G5 in comparison is an easier fit in your hand and has a smooth back, without being slippery. While both of these phones are made out of metal, they give you a drastically different feel in your hand.

Camera

When pitting the LG G5 and the Nexus 6P against one another, taking a few minutes to talk about the camera is definitely mandatory. That’s because both of these phones have a camera that delivers fantastic images with a minimum of fuss. Nexus phones haven’t been known for their top of the line camera’s, while LG has put emphasis on their camera design for years.

LG G5 (left) / Nexus 6P (right); click images to view larger

Note​: The LG G5 has a natural aspect ratio of 16:9, whereas the Nexus 6P shoots at 4:3. All photos are unaltered from their original states.

While both phones have an 8MP front camera, the rear camera is where they divert. The Nexus 6P has a 12.3MP rear camera that delivers fantastic photos. It doesn’t matter whether you’re outside in the sun, or in a dim room, you’ll get great results. The LG G5 takes things a step further though. You get two rear cameras, the main 16MP camera, along with an 8MP wide-angle lens. It gives you a ton of control over your photos, should you choose you delve into the options available to you.

While the Nexus 6P delivers fantastic photos, the LG G5 simply gives you more access to the features of a camera. These include being able to tweak the ISO, as well as including filters that you can use on your photos. That being said, both of these cameras perform admirably under a variety of conditions, and if you primarily use your camera in auto, neither will do you wrong.

Software

Both of these phones are running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but the experience you’ll get from them isn’t quite the same. Not by a long shot. The Nexus 6P has the Marshmallow you may know and love from the 5X or the 6, while the G5 suffers from an excess of bloatware when you first boot it up.

The Nexus 6P is quick and snappy, without stutter as you swipe between apps. As you might have guessed, the 6P gets the latest security patches available from Google, and will continue to do so for the lifecycle of this phone. So whether you like a wickedly fast phone, or a phone that stays secure, the 6P has you covered.

LG made some serious changes to their software this go around. That includes doing away with the app drawer is one of the big changes, and plenty of people are unhappy about it. They’ve also added a friends manager app, which it seems is being more or less ignored by most users. That’s because the LG friends manager is there to maker it easier to connect to your LG accessories like LG 360 CAM. Quick settings are still problematically large which can easily become frustrating. You’ll also find a slew of bloatware apps added by the carrier, on top of LG’s customization.

Which one should I buy?

These phones are fairly well matched in a number of ways. Making this decision honestly comes down to the decision between having a snappy phone with great software, or access to all of the features in a camera. If software and security are your concerns, then the Nexus 6P is the obvious choice. If you spend a lot of time using your phone as a camera and want access to a wider variety of settings, then the LG G5 is going to be the better choice. To be honest, the Nexus 6P is the better phone, the G5 just pulls forward as a contender because of the versatility of it’s camera.

Get the Nexus 6P on Amazon Get the LG G5 on Amazon

Counter-Strike 1.6 can be played on an Android phone with some extra effort

While Valve isn’t planning to release a native version of its classic PC multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike 1.6 in the Google Play Store, someone has figured out a way to get the game running on Android phones.

The person who made this happen is Alibek Omarov, who has created the necessary files in an APK format and posted them to GitHub (via Kotaku). You will also need to own Counter-Strike 1.6 itself on Steam for this to work. Omarov has posted the instructions on how to install and get the game running on Android phones.

We want to emphasize that this method is in no way official, nor has it been approved by Valve, so you are downloading and installing these files on your phone at your own risk. You might also want to hook up a gamepad or some other gaming controller to the phone after Counter-Strike 1.6 is ready to play, as we can imagine playing the game with just a touch screen would be very hard indeed.

Chrome OS hops on Material Design bandwagon with version 50

Chrome OS users are in for a treat with the latest Chrome 50 release. As detailed by Google designer Sebastien Gabriel on his blog, Chrome OS has received a bit of a Material Design overhaul in its latest update.

Overall, if you’re familiar with Material Design’s implementation on Android, there won’t be too many surprises here. While the general layout of things remains the same, the Chrome OS design is much flatter across the board (as seen in the image above). Additionally, the Incognito window now features a full dark theme from head to toe.

As Gabriel notes, the year-long project also brought some other improvements, like a new “hybrid” interface that should space things out a bit more on touch-enabled Chromebooks. Likewise, Gabriel notes that the interface is now rendered “fully programmatically.” Essentially, this allowed the team to remove upwards of 1,200 image files used by the system, and Chrome OS should scale much better across resolutions.

The Material Design changes should make their way to Chrome on Mac and Windows in the future, but Chromebook users should start seeing the new interface once Chrome OS updates to the latest version. For more on the overhaul, be sure to check out Sebastien Gabriel’s full post.

How to use podcasts in Google Play Music for Android

Google Play Music has podcasts, oh my! Google Play Music has podcasts, oh my!

In the next logical step of the evolution of Google Play Music, Google has added podcasts to the concoction. Now, from within the Google Play Music app, you can search and stream all your favorite podcasts.

There’s no longer a need for third-party apps and jumping around between your music and podcasts, since you now have a one stop shop. Google Play Music’s podcasts are missing a couple features, like being able to queue up multiple episodes from different podcasts, but features like that are likely forthcoming.

We’ve put together a quick guide to get you up and running.

More: Subscribe to the Android Central Podcast!

• How to find and subscribe to your favorite podcast in Google Play Music
• How to manage podcast subscriptions in Google Play Music
• How to share a podcast with Google Play Music (Text, Facebook, email, Hangouts, Twitter)
• How to share individual podcast episodes in Google Play Music

How to find and subscribe to your favorite podcast in Google Play Music

Launch the Google Play Music app from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
Tap the menu button on the top left of the screen. It’s three horizontal lines.
Tap Podcasts.

Search for a podcast through one of three methods:

• Top Charts: A limited collection of podcasts that are either promoted or have the most listeners. This is the “main page” of Google Play Music podcasts.
• All categories: Tap this to reveal a list of categories. The top rated podcasts in each category will appear when you tap each one.

• Search: Tap the search button on the top right of your screen to search for podcasts by title or subject matter. Podcasts appear under the Podcasts heading in your search results.

  

Tap the podcast to which you’d like to subscribe.
Tap the Subscribe button.

Tap the checkbox next to Auto-download if you’d like to always automatically download the latest three episodes.

Tap the checkbox next to Notifications if you’d like to receive a notification when new episodes are uploaded.
Tap Playback order to choose to play episodes from newest to oldest or oldest to newest.

Tap Subscribe.

You can unsubscribe by following the same steps.

How to manage podcast subscriptions in Google Play Music

You can change the settings you initially made when you subscribed at any time.

Launch the Google Play Music app from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
Tap the menu button in the top left of the screen. It’s three horizontal lines.
Tap Podcasts.

Tap Your Podcasts on the top center of your screen.

Tap the menu button on the podcast for which you’d like to manage settings. The button is three vertical dots.
Tap Manage subscription.

Tap the checkbox next to each setting to change it as you wish. See steps 7 to 9 above for more information.

How to share a podcast with Google Play Music

If you’re really enjoying a podcast and feel like others would too, you can share the whole podcast or individual episodes.

How to share podcasts via text message in Google Play Music

Launch the Google Play Music app from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
Tap the menu button in the top left of the screen. It’s three horizontal lines.

Tap Podcasts.

Tap Your Podcasts on the top center of your screen. Or, search for the podcast you’d like to share.
Tap the menu button on the podcast you’d like to share.

Tap Share.

Tap the messaging app with which you’d like to share the podcast.
Enter the name of the contact with whom you’d like to share the podcast.

Tap Send.

How to share podcasts via Facebook in Google Play Music

Launch the Google Play Music app from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
Tap the menu button in the top left of the screen. It’s three horizontal lines.

Tap Podcasts.

Tap Your Podcasts on the top center of your screen. Or, search for the podcast you’d like to share.
Tap the menu button on the podcast you’d like to share.

Tap Share.

Tap Facebook.

Tap Post.

How to share podcasts via email in Google Play Music

Launch the Google Play Music app from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
Tap the menu button in the top left of the screen. It’s three horizontal lines.

Tap Podcasts.

Tap Your Podcasts on the top center of your screen. Or, search for the podcast you’d like to share.
Tap the menu button on the podcast you’d like to share.

Tap Share.

Tap the email app you’d like to use.
Enter the email address(es) with which you’d like to share the podcast.

Tap Send.

How to share podcasts via Google Hangouts in Google Play Music

Launch the Google Play Music app from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
Tap the menu button in the top left of the screen. It’s three horizontal lines.

Tap Podcasts.

Tap Your Podcasts on the top center of your screen. Or, search for the podcast you’d like to share.
Tap the menu button on the podcast you’d like to share.

Tap Share.

Tap Hangouts. You may have to scroll to the right.
Choose an account if prompted.

Tap New conversation or an existing one, if you wish.

Enter a contact’s information.
Tap the next arrow.

Tap Send.

How to share podcasts via Twitter in Google Play Music

Launch the Google Play Music app from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
Tap the menu button in the top left of the screen. It’s three horizontal lines.

Tap Podcasts.

Tap Your Podcasts on the top center of your screen. Or, search for the podcast you’d like to share.
Tap the menu button on the podcast you’d like to share.

Tap Share.

Tap Tweet.
Log in, if prompted.

Tap Tweet.

How to share individual podcast episodes in Google Play Music

Launch the Google Play Music app from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
Tap the menu button in the top left of the screen. It’s three horizontal lines.
Tap Podcasts.

Tap Your Podcasts on the top center of your screen. Or, search for the podcast you’d like to share.

Tap a podcast.
Tap the info button next to the episode you’d like to share. It’s an ‘i’ in a circle.
Tap the share button.

Share as described above.

Submit your podcast to Google

Microsoft stops making the Xbox 360: Will it still support the platform?

Microsoft has announced that after 10 years of production it will no longer make Xbox 360 consoles.

The machine turned 10 years old last November, and Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, said the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are “starting to creep up on us.” He still praised the console, noting franchises like Gears of Wars were born on the Xbox 360, and that the Xbox 360 helped usher industry innovations like Kinect. It also allowed Xbox Live to turn into a “thriving online gaming community”.

“The console became a beloved gaming and entertainment hub with over 78 billion gaming hours played, nearly 486 billion Gamerscore on 27 billion achievements and over 25 billion hours spent in apps over its lifetime,” Spencer explained. Despite all that, Microsoft made the decision to stop manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles but will continue to sell existing inventory, with availability varying by country.

The company will presumably now put all its focus on the Xbox One, the Xbox 360’s successor that released in late 2013. Microsoft realises however that gamers are still active on the Xbox 360, so it will continue to support the platform in multiple ways.

Will Xbox 360 owners get Xbox Live services?

Yes. They will continue to receive Xbox Live services for their console, including online multiplayer gaming and parties, access to the apps they still use, and Games with Gold and Deals with Gold. Microsoft also said Xbox Live servers that support Xbox 360 services will remain online and active, allowing Xbox 360 owners to continue playing their favorite games with Xbox Live.

Can Xbox 360 owners still buy 360 games/accessories?

Xbox 360 owners will still be able to buy over 4,000 Xbox 360 games or Xbox 360 accessories either through retail stores or Microsoft’s Xbox 360 store online (while supplies last).

Will Xbox 360 hardware receive support?

According to Microsoft, any Xbox 360 hardware will be supported at xbox.com/support.

Can Xbox One owners still play Xbox 360 games?

Microsoft previously announced Xbox One owners could play Xbox 360 games on their new console, and now it is promising they will be able to continue to play available Xbox 360 games through Xbox One Backward Compatibility (at no additional cost).

Want to know more?

Check out Phil Spencer’s blog post for more details.

‘Exploding Kittens’ is now on Android

Exploding Kittens, the most-funded game ever to cross Kickstarter’s funding goal line is now available on Android. The multiplayer card contest, illustrated by The Oatmeal, works a lot like another classic party game: Russian Roulette. Each of the up to five players takes turns pulling cards from a central deck. Whenever someone pulls an Exploding Kitten card, they have to use another card from their hand to defuse it before the cat goes kablooey. Whoever is left standing last, wins. The game is available for both iOS and Android for $2 and can be played across platforms.

Source: Kickstarter

AOL bought its own VR studio for HuffPo videos

News outlets have already jumped on the VR bandwagon, and today another publication joins the fray. Today, AOL announced its acquisition of the LA-based virtual reality and 360-degree video production studio RYOT. By bringing the company under its wing, AOL will leverage the resources to boost The Huffington Post’s quest to “re-imagine journalism as we move into the next generation of dynamic storytelling.” In fact, Arianna Huffington & Co. have already teamed up with RYOT, producing “The Crossing:” an immersive series about the refugee crisis in Greece.

“The Huffington Post blazed the trail by empowering people to tell their own stories in their own voices,” said RYOT Co-Founder Bryn Mooser said in a press release. “Together, we’ll bring our immersive virtual reality storytelling to their global news network and we couldn’t be more excited. It’s a game changer.”

RYOT’s documentary film experience and 360-degeree video and VR know-how will give The Huffington Post an in-house studio for producing its immersive content. It also means that the news outlet will be able to produce virtual reality projects to keep pace with the likes of The New York Times and CNN. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Disclosure: Engadget is owned by AOL.

Amazon needs to simplify Prime Video to compete with Netflix

You can now buy a monthly subscription to Amazon Prime Video, a move that puts the service in direct competition with Netflix. In a lot of ways, Amazon comes out looking like a strong option. For starters, it’s cheaper: $8.99 per month gets you an arguably better movie catalog than you’ll find on Netflix these days, not to mention Amazon’s own slate of original programming and access to most of HBO’s back catalog.

With a monthly payment option, it’s now easier to test out Amazon Prime Video without making a year-long commitment to Amazon Prime. Combine that with the service’s strong content lineup and it seems like Netflix could have cause for concern. But there are still a few things working against Amazon from a product perspective that keep it from being as good as Netflix, and they might not be so easy to fix.

It’s an issue of complexity, born out of Prime Video’s history as a value-add that Amazon now feels is important enough to stand alone as its own product. Netflix was built, first and foremost, as a streaming video subscription service. Yes, the company’s disc-based offering came first, but streaming video has been the company’s main business for a long time now. Many of Netflix’s current subscribers likely never had a DVD delivery plan.

Because of its tight focus, Netflix streaming is a product that is quite easy to use. You search for content or browse Netflix’s personalized recommendations and play what you want, confident that your monthly subscription has you covered. Amazon’s Prime Video service is less simple, in part because the company also maintains a huge on-demand digital video store alongside Prime Video. Whether you’re searching on your computer or browsing content offerings on your TV, you’ll come across loads of content that isn’t included with your subscription.

Amazon does what it can to distinguish between things you can watch for free and things you need to pay extra for, but it’s still a bummer when you’ve come across something you want to watch that isn’t included with your subscription. It’s even trickier with TV shows: Many programs have past seasons included, but current seasons are typically limited to purchase only. Amazon lets you filter for “included with Prime” options, but search still naturally shows everything by default. It’s not an insurmountable issue, but it’s definitely not as clean an experience as Netflix or Hulu.

Compounding the complexity for Amazon are a variety of “add-on” subscriptions for channels like Showtime, Starz and Comedy Central, among others. This is essentially Amazon’s way of letting users of devices like the Fire TV or Fire Stick sign up for these services within the Amazon ecosystem. These add-ons aren’t directly related to Prime Video subscriptions, though they do have the benefit of making Amazon’s video offering a one-stop shop. Still, it’s not entirely clear at first glance how these services work alongside Prime Video.

And that’s not even mentioning the fact that Amazon doesn’t offer a video app for the new Apple TV. I understand why: Amazon can’t sell video through its app without giving Apple a cut, so the application would have to be limited to playback of purchased content from your Amazon account. But it would still be convenient for Prime Video subscribers. Right now, you can Airplay Amazon content from your iPhone or iPad to your Apple TV, but given the app-based framework of tvOS, not having a native app feels like a miss. If Amazon is willing to build one for the iPad and iPhone, why not the Apple TV?

That’s not the only place where Amazon has some app weirdness. For some reason, there’s no Amazon Video app for Android in the Play Store. Instead, you have to sideload the “Amazon Underground” Appstore for Android and then install the video player through there. It’s not terribly difficult to do this, but it’s not a great experience either, particularly for less tech-savvy folks who don’t even know what “sideloading” means.

To be clear, none of these problems are deal-breakers. Its service runs on nearly every other competing set-top box, video game console and smart TV. The content lineup is strong, and being able to stream, buy and rent content all through one service is pretty handy. There’s no doubt it adds complexity, but it’s not all bad. Still, it’s hard to argue with the simplicity that Netflix has on its side as a major reason for its success. If you’ve used Netflix on one device, you’ll have the same experience anywhere else you use it. That’s not the case for Amazon. As more customers check it out with this new monthly plan, any way the company can find to make the service easier to use will be a big help.

Comcast Xfinity heads to Roku and Samsung TVs without a box (Update: FCC responds)

While the FCC is working on ways to “unlock the box,” Comcast announced plans for its Xfinity TV service that don’t require the set-top add-on. Later this year, the company will release an Xfinity TV Partner app for Roku-powered TVs and streaming gadgets as well as Samsung’s 2016 line of smart TVs. The app is part of a wider Xfinity TV Partner Program from Comcast, which brings its cable service to consumer home entertainment devices while nixing the extra cost of renting a box.

Comcast says this service will offer the Xfinity guide along with live and on-demand content, plus a cloud-based DVR. The company already had live television apps that allow customers to stream shows and more from 70 channels on mobile devices. Sure, you’re still paying the monthly cost of a cable subscription, but over the course of a year, the savings from not having to lease the extra box will be significant.

“In light of the success of the apps-based model in the marketplace, the far-reaching government technical mandate being currently proposed by the FCC is unnecessary,” explained Comcast SVP Mark Hess in a blog post. “The FCC’s proposed set-top box mandate threatens to undermine this highly-dynamic marketplace, create substantial costs and consumer harms, and will take years to develop — only to be likely outdated by the time it reaches the marketplace — all in an effort to achieve what apps are already delivering for consumers.”

Comcast explains that this is not an over-the-top streaming service, but rather a way for its customers to access programming without the traditional set-top box. While Roku and Samsung are the first to jump on board, the cable company is open to adding new partners as well. Unfortunately, there’s no definitive word on when the Xfinity TV integration will launch, as Comcast offered the vague “later this year” timing estimate.

Late last year, Time Warner Cable began a cable TV trial with Roku and its own apps in NYC, offering packages for internet-only customers that range from $10 to $50 per month. However, TWC’s beta test didn’t include DVR even though it too offered an easy way to access cable programming.

Update: The FCC weighed in on Comcast’s announcement with the following statement:

“While we do not know all of the details of this announcement, it appears to offer only a proprietary, Comcast-controlled user interface and seems to allow only Comcast content on different devices, rather than allowing those devices to integrate or search across Comcast content as well as other content consumers subscribe to.”

Source: Comcast (1), (2), (3)